Sufganiyot (Israeli Jelly Donuts) Recipe
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While latkes are the snack most commonly associated with Hanukkah, sufganiyot are more commonly consumed in Israel. We can see why, because they are addictive and don’t leave the house as smelly.
Special equipment: You will need a 2-inch round cutter.
If you don’t have one, you can use a drinking glass of the same size.
You will also need a candy/fat thermometer, as well as a 12- to 18-inch pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip to fill the doughnuts with jam or jelly.
Game plan: When deep-frying, make sure the oil stays at a constant temperature, adjusting your stove’s heat as necessary.
This recipe was featured as part of our Hanukkah Recipes photo gallery.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the baking sheet and rolling out the dough
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk (105°F to 115°F)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), at room temperature
- 6 cups (1 1/2 quarts) vegetable or canola oil, for frying, plus more for coating the bowl
- 2/3 cup smooth jam or jelly
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. Add the yolks and milk and mix, using the hook attachment, on medium-low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute. Add the butter, increase the speed to medium high, and mix until the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 5 minutes.
- Coat a large bowl with oil. Form the dough into a ball, place in the bowl, and turn to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Lightly flour a baking sheet; set aside. Punch down the dough, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and roll until about 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2-inch round cutter, stamp out as many dough rounds as possible and place on the prepared baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Gather the dough scraps into a ball and roll out again, stamping rounds until you have 30 total on the baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise in a warm place until puffy and about 1/2 inch thick, about 30 minutes.
- Place the vegetable or canola oil in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot and set over medium heat until the temperature reaches 350°F on a candy/fat thermometer. Meanwhile, line a second baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire rack over the paper towels; set aside. Place the jam or jelly in a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip; set aside.
- Using a flat spatula (don’t use your hands—this will deflate the doughnuts), carefully transfer the dough rounds, one at a time, into the oil. You should be able to fit about 6 at a time, leaving at least 1 inch of space in between and keeping the oil temperature at 350°F. Fry until the bottoms are golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Carefully flip with a fork and fry until the second side is golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes more. (If air bubbles appear in the doughnuts, pierce with the tip of a paring knife.) Remove with a slotted spoon to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds.
- When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to puncture the side of each to form a pocket in the center. Place the tip of the piping bag into the pocket and pipe about 1 teaspoon of jam or jelly inside. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
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foodseek-
Leaving the dough out in a warm place overnight is not recommended, as it is likely that the dough will over rise or proof.
Although we did not test it this way, oftentimes dough can be left to rise overnight in the refrigerator. If you try it this way, let us know how it turns out!
Christine Gallary, CHOW Test Kitchen
Can I leave the dough overnight to rise in a warm spot instead of the 1-1 1/2 hours?
What can I substitute for the egg yolks?
jmawatch, you may want to give unsweetened, unflavored soy or rice milk a try. We only tested this with cow's milk so I'm not 100% either are a comparable sub. Let us know how it works out!
Amy Wisniewski, CHOW test kitchen
I'm allergic to milk. What substitute would I use for milk in this recipe?
When we tested this recipe, we did not dissolve the yeast separately in warm water but do use warm milk to activate it. It worked great and we hope you have a chance to make this recipe and tell us what you think!
Christine Gallary, CHOW Test Kitchen
don't you have to dissolve the yeast in warm water?
Thank you to everyone who tried the original recipe and made comments. After retesting it, we made some changes and took a new photograph. We hope you will try them again and let us know how they turn out!
Christine Gallary, CHOW Test Kitchen
The most yummy sufganiyot are the ones filled with ribat chalav (dulche de leche).
In a bind, after misplacing my favorite sufganiyot recipe and in a hurry to get the puppies done before our Hanukah party, I quickly found and used this recipe. It was a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT.
This recipe does not deserve to be called sufganiyot. They didn't puff up, couldn't be filled with jelly, and had too much cinnamon. I wish that I had read the comments and paid closer attention to the pic before I made this mistake.
"...mix until it comes together. Mix on medium high for an additional 5 minutes (dough will be very sticky)." To call what I got by following this recipe precisely is a joke. It didn't "come together" at all, but was a runny mess. I added almost two more cups of flour and yes, it was very sticky, but still nothing resembling "dough." It is rising now, but i am anticipating having to dump the whole thing out. What a waste of money and ingredients. I should have stuck with the recipe I found on Epicurious.
Horrible !!! keep them in the middle east please!
The sufganiyot are probably descendants of Central European donuts (known as fánk in Hungarian).
Here is a pic of some women in peasant tunics filling the fánk with homemade apricot jam as Avi points out, AFTER they have been lightly fired.
http://users.static.freeblog.hu/j/u/d...
THIS photo is what comes of your recipe? What a disgusting burned, greasy, misshapenned mess! Sufganiyot should be golden and fluffy. And filled after they are cooked, not before.
These are SO good! I liked the ones filled with apricot jam.